Einar Benediktsson

Einar Benediktsson, (born October 31, 1864, Ellidavatn, Iceland—died January 12, 1940, Herdísarvík), Neoromantic poet called by some the greatest Icelandic poet of the 20th century.

Benediktsson’s father was a leader of the Icelandic independence movement, and his mother was a poet. He received a law degree at Copenhagen in 1892 and briefly edited a Reykjavíknewspaper, Dagskrá (1896–98), advocating the cause of Icelandic independence. Much of his life was spent abroad, raising capital to develop Icelandic industries. His five volumes of Symbolist verse—Sögur og kvaedi (1897; “Stories and Poems”), Hafblik (1906; “Smooth Seas”), Hrannir (1913; “Waves”), Vogar (1921; “Billows”), Hvammar (1930; “Grass Hollows”)—show a masterful command of the language and the influence of his extensive travels, and they exemplify his patriotism, mysticism, and love of nature. A speculative citizen of the world, he wrote in an ornate style and, as one critic said, delighted in mirroring the macrocosm in a microcosm. Benediktsson translated Henrik Ibsen’sPeer Gynt into Icelandic. A selection of his poems was translated into English as Harp of the North (1955) by Frederic T. Wood.